Parental Guidance
by Mr. BG
Summary: Warning: You must be at least a Bwen-shipper to enjoy this fic. Most scenes will contain consanguine content not recommended to the close-minded. Viewer discretion is advised. BxG R&R
1. Congratulations!

**A/N:** This is Bwen. Please kindly redirect from this page if you don't like this pairing. Thank you :) -bg014

P.S. From now on, since Ben 10 UA (Ultimate Alien) uses the AU (alternate universe) BS (cow manure) for practically every loophole—consider this story an AU so we don't have to go through those same said complications. Oh, and for continuity purposes let's just assume this story happens in late October. Also fixed/added some parts to help stave off retroactive continuity.

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Congratulations!<strong>

**Bellwood High School**

**3:04 PM**

The sound of a delayed school bell resounds sharply throughout the vast corridors of Bellwood High, signalling the end of yet another class period, only to be replaced by the next. Within moments the once peaceful, empty hallways are suddenly overtaken by waves upon waves of restless students—jocks, cheerleaders, nerds, goths, the shy types, the laid-back, the popular girl, the popular girl's sidekick-who-hangs-out-with-the-popular-girl-to-be-almost-just-as-popular, the band people, the junkies, the monkeys, the foreign exchange student (eh, you get my point).

Within this typical crowd though are two not-so-typical teenagers, a brunette boy and a redhead girl, looking roughly quite the same age and height, casually conversing as they made their way to their next class which is Home Economics.

"I'm telling you Gwen," said the young man ecstatically, "If Groovie Smoothies ever decides to advertise this handsome face with their smoothies their sales will skyrocket! And all I ask in return is—"

"Free smoothies for life," quickly interrupted his mildly irritated cousin. "Yeah, I heard you for the zillionth time, Ben. No offense but I don't really think the Swampfire Chili Volcano Smoothie Special is such a hot idea to begin with anyway, or your advertising career for that matter," she added, shaking her head and chuckling slightly at both Ben and her bad pun.

They stopped by at their respective lockers—coincidentally located next to each other—as Gwen went to deposit some of the books she was carrying and taking the ones she needed for the moment and handing them to her cousin while she sorted out her locker. Pictures of the two of them when they were younger were plastered all over the back portion of her locker door.

"But, but...I'm me! I mean just look at me!" He said, pressing both forefingers to his rosy cheeks. "How could you say no to a face like this?" He said coolly, winking and flashing a glistening smile adding to the effect.

"Er...no," Gwen stated raising an eyebrow before taking her books from Ben and walking away slowly and disappearing into the crowd, obviously not wanting to discuss anymore of this Ben-centric conversation.

"Gwen! Now that was just harsh! Gwen? Hey, wait up!" called out Ben before dashing through the crowd after her just as the school bell rang a second time.

"You know what would've been awesome?" said a random passerby teen, talking to his friend walking alongside him. "A smoothie that's both hot and cold at the same time, like fire and ice. How awesome would that be?"

"Yeah," his friend mused. "I wonder why they don't sell those. Anyway, have you heard about this rad new alien Ben turns into..?"

**Home Economics Class**

**3:09 PM**

"Settle down, class. Settle down," said Professor Canong, leaning against the front of his desk with his arms tucked behind his back. He was well above his forties, bespectacled and hair thinning at the top. Clad in his usual striped polo and high-pants with the straps, he walked with a rather unusual limp that made you wonder whether one leg was prosthetic or not. "Alright, to cope with the school's current situation, I have a very special project to give out and I want you all to...Benjamin Tennyson! Would you please put that thing away!" barked the professor, pointing to Ben who was sitting in the second row, one chair to the left from the middle, earphones tucked in nicely, connected to his iPhone as he didn't seem to have noticed his irritated teacher—his mind blankly fixated at some nearby motivational posters.

"Ben! Psst!" Gwen, who was seated in front of him, called out in a hushed tone but he didn't seem to notice. "Ben!" she called out again a little louder but still no response. Suddenly her eyes lit up pink and Ben's iPhone suddenly cranked to full volume, startling Ben and snapping him from his reverie as he quickly removed his earphones. A few chuckles could be heard from the back.

"What's the big idea, Gwen?" Ben huffed, sticking a finger in his sore left ear as he stuffed the iPhone in his backpack. Gwen only stuck her tongue out as a reply as she turned her head back towards the professor.

"Er...thank you, Gwendolyn. Now Ben, please pay attention! This is important. Now as I was saying—" continued the Professor as he leaned back against his desk, arms crossed.

"So what lame thing does Mr. Can't-do-fun want us to do this time? Macaroni art? Talk about our feelings? Sharing circle?" whispered Ben to his cousin, leaning ever so slightly that his chin rested a bit on her right shoulder.

"Ben shush, or you're gonna get in trouble again. Sit back and pay attention would you?" Gwen sighed flicking at Ben's nose instantly causing him to recline back to his seat.

"Your assignment will account for forty percent of your final grade and is crucial if you want to pass this class. This assignment will teach you the meaning of responsibility, teamwork and err...parenthood," he said the last part quite low, pushing weakly with his two fingers the bridge of his spectacles and readjusting his voice. Sounds of confused and curious whispers could be heard all around. Even Gwen and Ben shot a confused look at each other.

Clearing his throat, Professor Canong retreated to his desk's drawer and began digging through the pile of junk that clinked and clanked as he scrimmaged through them, murmuring to himself about his ex-wife, why his children never ever call him, among other things.

"Ah," he finally said in a eureka moment having found the elusive object. "This—" he said rather short of breath, plopping a peculiar-looking flour sack on top of the desk in full view of the entire classroom, "will be the object of interest for your project for the latter half of your school semester."

"A sack?" Ben suddenly pitched in with disinterest, his chin resting on his left hand. "You want us to bake you a cake or something?" Gwen rolled her eyes at his comment, knowing very well of his attempt at a joke—and failing.

"Heavens no, Benjamin—believe it or not, this inanimate thing," he said lifting the sack for everyone to see, "Will be your little bundle of joy," he stated grinning from ear to ear.

"Oh, no," Ben groaned half-laughing. "Not the whole sack baby thing. Aren't we a little too old for that?" he said chuckling, shaking his head at the hilarity of the idea.

"Maybe but this will play out a little bit differently and unlike your ghastly encounters with the unmentionables, dear boy, I don't believe those _aliens_ of yours will be able to help you with this one," he stated rather as if issuing a challenge. "Why Benjamin? Do you think you have what it takes to be a parent?"

"I've been a mother once so I believe I do," Ben said with a confident smile, intending to elicit a laugh from his peers with that statement—and laugh they did—even though what he said was very much true.

"Really now? Mock all you want Ben but the fact stays the same, you will need to take utmost care of this _baby_ for the entire school semester if you wish to pass my class." His voice sounded out rather serious this time as he eyed Ben down with a single raised eyebrow. "And luckily for you and the rest of the class, due to circumstances of what happened last week, the school has decided to suspend classes for an entire two months starting tomorrow for repairs, so at least you have a bit of momentum to kick-start this project," sighed Professor Canong as he looked out the window only to see numerous giant craters where the school parking lot used to be.

"Um, professor," Gwen called out abruptly raising her hand, "If we're gonna be parents, shouldn't there be a father and a mother; that is two people, for each sack?"

"Ah, right you are, Gwendolyn. That is why I will assign you all to work in pairs. Don't worry about finding one—I took the liberty of doing that myself." He fished out a folded piece of paper from his pocket and began unfolding it, readjusting his ever loose glasses. He blinked several times, squinting his eyes, having difficulty making out his own posh handwriting.

"Sir," squeaked a timid dark-haired girl from the back row, her hand raised not to high, as if having second thoughts about speaking out in the first place.

"Err, yes, Kat?" The professor said, turning his attention to her with a subtle nudge of his ever loose glasses.

"H-How do we, uhm, I mean how d-do you even know we, uh, took care of these sacks and not just put them somewhere or, uh, lose and just replace them?" she stuttered, scoping around her hoping her question didn't earn a negative response from her peers.

"Yeah she does have a point," chimed in Ben. "A sack of flour like that obviously won't be that hard to replace."

"Why Ben, are you actually not trying to talk yourself out of having to do work? Impressive," smiled the Professor, amazed at Ben. Even Gwen was, raising an eyebrow wondering what mischievous idea her cousin has concocted in that darn head of his.

"Well, for starters, this assignment isn't all that lame. Sounds fun actually if we didn't have this little setback we have right now," He answered with a smile as everyone looked, amazed at his sudden change of demeanour. He reclined back in his seat, basking in the glory that he was the center of attention.

"Goodness, Benjamin, who said anything about setbacks? Do you honestly think I'd give this assignment out to higher year students and not expect them to cheat themselves to an A plus? No, no, dear boy, I have come prepared," Professor Canong declared, beaming with confidence.

The elderly man then took the flour that was lying on the desk and turned it to reveal some sort of device embedded in its backside. It was a black, rectangular box about the size of a playing card and just a few times as thick. It had about two alternately flashing lights—red and green—and three, small grills lining at the top.

"This has been approved and commissioned by the school board to show their appreciation after Ben saved the Bellwood High president's daughter last week from those nasty alien pirate robot ninjas. At the expense of half the school _and_ my car being demolished at that but thankfully my car insurance covers 'destroyed by extraterrestrial causes' so it all works out in the end. Oh, I must have been rambling. Anyway dear students, this little thing sewn into this sack is a brilliant piece of device. It serves two purposes. One, once the sack has been lost, this device is irreplaceable. You cannot find this anywhere outside the ones commissioned by the board. So you can never replace your sack once it is lost. Two, hardwired into this device is an intricate motion and auditory response chip that will react to whatever forces, physical or by sound that the sack experiences and will accordingly give the corresponding reaction, positive or negative. You'll find out what I mean soon enough."

The entire class looked at him with a blank expression—especially Ben who just tilted his head in confusion to whatever the heck the man just said.

"To put it in layman's terms, this sack will react to whatever you do with it, good or bad. Inside this device is a special something built in it that can help me evaluate your performance by the end of the semester but I won't go around telling you what exactly less you tamper with it. Just so you know the grading system depends on how good a parent you can be. You might be thinking, "Isn't the school board going a bit overboard just for a simple assignment?" Well, I tell you we aren't taking matters seriously enough. Besides, after Ben's heroic deeds, why not grab the opportunity to try out these wonderful things the benefactor graciously donated to us," He said, catching his breath after that long delivery.

"Someone donated these things to our school?" Gwen asked, impressed someone could be that generous.

"Why, of course. Along with the funds to help with the repairs. Oh, and Ellen Degeneres sends you her deepest gratitude, Ben," his professor said with a wink.

"No big. She just happened to be there when those pirate ninja robot freaks fired their repulsor canon and I just XLR8-ed her out one piece," Ben said coolly. "I didn't think she'd do anything else other than invite me to appear on her talk show," he added as an afterthought, trying to sound as modest as he can.

"Indeed. And after you carried Miss Melissa Burkson here away from those exploding gas line pumps, our class is finally getting the support from this school that it deserves. A bit biased but you've earned it, Ben," said the professor with a hearty laugh.

"Yeah, I know. I'm a giver. Give, give, give, is all I do," Ben grinned, oozing in his Ben-ness.

"What a show-off," whispered a girl in the back to a boy beside her as she obliviously tended to her finely-manicured nails.

"Yeah, he's so full of himself. But he is a hero so we gotta give him credit where it's due," lauded the boy.

"I just wish he wouldn't open that big mouth of his so much," said another boy just behind him.

"I so do not want to end up with him for this assignment," added the girl.

"I dunno. I think he's kinda cool...and cute," butted in another girl behind her, looking a little bit flustered.

"Ugh, whatevs, you can have the great Ben Tennyson. I don't want none of what he's got," rolled the first girl.

"If I'm lucky," chimed the girl happily as the three rolled their eyes at her.

"You four there at the back, pay attention!" scolded the professor before peering back into the piece of paper in his hand. "Now where were we? Ah yes, your pairings..."

"Man, I hope I end up with someone I can work with who doesn't fuzz too much," whispered Ben to his cousin, resting his chin yet again on her right shoulder.

"Or someone who'll do the work for you?" Gwen shot back raising an eyebrow.

"Ouch, Gwen, I'm not that much of a slob. I'll do my part—as long as I end up with someone who's a total babe! Like Sarah maybe?" Ben grinned widely.

"Honestly, Ben," Gwen sighed, shaking her head.

"Sarah Kennedy...you'll work with Craig Johnstone..," recited the professor in a nonchalant manner as he continued reading the list.

"Yes!" exclaimed softly the attractive-looking girl, pumping her fist as she then looked at the equally attractive-looking guy just mentioned.

"The jock? Just my luck. Well, I guess it's meant to be," Ben shrugged.

"Julie Yamamoto..," as the professor read her name Ben's ears perked up as he couldn't help but take notice, "Your partner is Cash Murray."

"What?!" Ben almost yelled and quickly covered his mouth as everyone turned their attention to him.

"Is there a problem, Benjamin?" asked the professor with a rather annoyed look.

"Uh, no. Sorry professor, carry on," Ben said slumping back to his seat, his face flustered. "That's not fair. How does Julie end up with the biggest jerk on Bellwood High?" Ben complained to his cousin, making sure his voice doesn't get too high.

"Don't be jealous, Ben. It was a random selection. Besides, didn't you and Julie break up like a month ago anyway?"

"Well, yeah but—"

"Then you have nothing to complain about," Gwen cut him off, adding a tone of finality to her voice.

"Kimberly Carlton..."

"Vickie Torres..." the list went on and on, one name after another...

"Benjamin Tennyson..," the professor finally said, catching Ben's attention as he lifted his drowsy head from his little catnap. "Your partner will be..."

Oh, as if you haven't figured it out already, Sherlocks.

"...Gwendolyn Tennyson."

Silence.

It's as if the entire universe suddenly fell upon itself. That everything we thought we knew of everything suddenly stops making sense. Time comes to a complete standstill. Everything is inexplicably flung towards the deepest crevices of the nether regions—forever lost—and what remains is a cold, hollow, dark void. And that void falls upon itself again...and suddenly implodes.

"WHAAAAATTTTT?!" screamed the two cousins in unison, much to the amusement of everyone around them. "I have to work with him/her?" they both yelled again in unison, pointing fingers at each other. It's all a little bit too surreal.

"Omigosh, the two biggest freak shows end up working with each other—as acting parents! Just how weird can it get?" laughed the girl from before, tears rolling from her eyes.

"I actually kind of feel bad for Gwen, having to do all that work," mused the boy. "Plus, she's kinda hot," he added inaudibly.

"You know you guys are just plain, old jerks," spat the girl at them, crossing her arms and shaking her head. "I swear some people are just immature."

"Watch it, Sassy Smarthmouth," warned the girl, who we will now start addressing by the name of Melissa. "Or did you forget who runs this school? I can make the rest of your school life a living hell at the snap of a finger so you better watch that little mouth of yours," scoffed the school's head cheerleader/class chair of the school committee/school president's daughter.

"But didn't Ben just save you from that explosion a few days ago when he was fighting those aliens?" asked the boy next to her.

"Yeah, but those freaks wouldn't even be here in the first place if it wasn't for him and his weirdo aliens. He's like the magnet for the bizarre, and thanks to him I had to spend an entire four days tending to my broken nails," Melissa whined a little too melodramatically, flashing her over-the-top manicure. "And believe me, Ben Tennyson is gonna pay."

'_Jeez, what a _[explicit]_, I hope you get what's coming to you'_, the other girl thought to herself.

Back to the Tennyson cousins...

"I-isn't there any other person left that you haven't paired yet? I mean Gwen? C'mon!" griped Ben, practically sounding desperate.

"Hey!" Gwen frowned, feeling quite insulted.

"I didn't mean it like that, Gwen. It's just...it feels a little weird, you know. Considering our assignment; the whole parent thing..." Ben's voice dropped at that point, his face red as a tomato.

"Oh..," was all that she could utter, finally catching on to what Ben was saying.

"I'm very sorry to you both. I know this must feel a bit awkward, and it was an error for my part. When I was making out the list I neglected the fact that both of you had the same surname and, well, you both were the only ones left without a partner by the time I was about done. And I can't take back the pairings because it would be unfair to the other students. I'm truly very sorry, but if it's any consolation you both don't have to worry about managing your time with the, ahem, _baby_ considering you both live a block at best away from each other. And Ben could learn from you Gwen; a model student. I'm sure you can teach Ben a thing or two about responsibility."

"Obviously, you don't know Ben," Gwen smirked as she shot a look at her cousin.

"Hey, I resent that!" Ben glared at her as she stuck her tongue out at him in reply.

"Then it's settled," declared Professor Canong happily. "You're now officially Mr. and Mrs. Tennyson."

"Not cool, dude."

Oh, boy.


	2. It's a Formality Thing

_This chapter I like! Another!_

**A/N:** I fixed this chapter and re-uploaded it! Yay!

P.S. Ben and Gwen are both age 16.

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: It's a Formality Thing<strong>

A harmonious symphony of pearl, lavender, and peach covered the entire medium-sized room, complimented by a decor of satin and silk. Ribbons, trophies, medals, and plaques proudly displayed all around for the eyes to admire. A sixteen-inch, high-definition, flat-screen TV mounted on the wall, an enormous mirror-slash-drawer embellished with clean-cut, polished stones and gems west-wing; a giant, masterfully-carved dresser that might very well be the portal to Narnia sits by the corner; and to top it all off, a king-sized bed with the hanging, translucent, silk curtains and regal-themed beddings at the center; fit even for the freaking Queen of England herself. Everything just seemed so meticulously organized, and in place; spotless and perfect.

For a second you might think you're in a luxurious five-star hotel room; or maybe you're an obsessed fan of Taylor Swift who broke into her home (or mansion) to steal a lock of hair or used unmentionables to sell on E-bay; or maybe even be the president's daughter that suffered from amnesia after a traumatic and scarring kidnapping incident and forgot that this was your room. No, not even close (those were horrible guesses, by the way).

You're in Gwendolyn Tennyson's room.

After last week's Humongosaur-crashing-through-the-wall-and-destroying-half-the-room incident, Gwen's father, Frank Tennyson, thought it was high-time his 'little princess'' room needed a major overhaul (oh, and having half a room left helps to reach that conclusion, too, of course). And no expense was too great for his Gwendolyn—and, yes, he got everything _including_ the kitchen sink!

But that's just the tip of the iceberg, because this time, as a precautionary measure, a certain mischievous and destructive brunette was _banned_ indefinitely from stepping foot anywhere within the proximity of Gwen's home; front lawn and all, much to his dismay and, perhaps, Gwen's too. _Maybe_.

Not that that has stopped him at all. I mean, seriously?

In fact, there he is lying on top of Gwen's bed, leisurely toying with one of her first place trophies and looking quite bored at that—his eyes darting at the nearest random object that might seem interesting for even a brief moment. He was wearing his usual black top with denim jeans, minus his trademark green jacket. Ever since the 'Zero Ben Tolerance' rule was implemented a few weeks back, Ben himself, as an act of pure arrogance, defiance, and downright brazenness, took it as a personal challenge and made it his absolute goal to sneak into Gwen's room every night—usually via window—without ever getting caught, just to remind his own immense ego that Ben Tennyson lives by his own set of rules. Oh, and also to see his cousin too, of course. Then again, what he was going to do soon after that wasn't put into much consideration.

Stretching his arms, he sat up and gave a bigger-than-necessary yawn. "Gwen, I'm bored!" he whined, almost child-like, towards his cousin, who was at her desk just a few feet from him, intensely focused on her laptop. She had her reading glasses on, which she always wore whenever she was working on something. Ben had always thought she looked intriguing with them on—not that that had anything to do with her wearing them occasionally. Apart from that, she was clad in a fitting, sleeveless, silk-blue nightgown that fell well above her knees.

"Yeah, I heard you, Ben," said his exasperated cousin, not bothering to look away from her computer screen. "Honestly, I don't know why you insist on being cramped in here every single night when you could be somewhere else kicking alien butt, or breaking some guy's leg for jaywalking or something, just to keep your annoying self entertained," she said with deadpan expression.

"One, I love annoying the hell outta you; and two, that's a bit of a grim suggestion from my sweet, innocent, and lovely cousin. I see Kevin has had quite an influence on you in _more _ways than one," he said, sticking his tongue out, which earned him a manna-charged flying stapler to the face. "Yeouch!" Ben growled, clasping his nose with both hands. "Jesus, Gwen, it's nice to know you _still_have some of your old charm left in you. Just not the one's I'd prefer. Wait, is that- is that _blood_? Is that blood on my hands? Is my nose bleeding? Gwen, is it bleeding? Is it...yep, it's bleeding. Gwen, my nose is bleeding!"

"Ben, I swear to God..."

Just then a sudden knock on the door catches both cousins off-guard, jolting them from their once almost docile environment, and into a sudden state of distress. Gwen turned to her cousin, her eyes widening; a mixture of shock, horror, and panic etched on her face. Ben nodded in response, as if understanding what she was trying desperately to mentally relay to him. Even so, his heart raced and pounded against his ribcage and his mind went blank as he tried to think of what to do next. The window! But there's no time to scroll through the aliens knowing full well Gwen had not locked her door. And he wasn't intent on crashing two stories to the ground as either Graymatter or Echo Echo if the Omnitrix decided it was funny.

"Ben!" Gwen hissed when she saw her cousin froze on the spot. She knew the moment either her mom or dad walked through that door and sees Ben, they're both gonna wish they were stuck in the Null Void with two Vilgax's right now instead. Taking matters into her own hands (literally), she vaulted from her recliner seat and quickly pushed Ben, causing him to fall on her bed, before lifting and spreading the bed sheet quickly on top of both of them as she herself laid down in front of him, with only her head and neck sticking out, while Ben himself was completely buried underneath.

Gwen could hear the doorknob jiggle as someone from the other side started turning it. Beads of nervous sweat fell from her forehead. However, still, she tried to keep her expression as relaxed as possible. Ben, on the other hand, was still trying to make clear of the events that had just transpired, but nevertheless, for whatever forces compelled him, his gut told him to follow Gwen's lead without second thought, as he instinctively adjusted himself against Gwen's own delicate figure, trying to make himself as undetectable from view as possible. And the inevitable soon followed.

Gwen shifted uncomfortably as the personal space between them quickly dissolved. Strange, new sensations began to swirl from within her as she felt Ben's body so closely pressed to hers; his warm, uneven breathing against the bare of her back; his shapely arms wrapped around her slender waist; his legs intertwined with hers. Gwen felt herself growing hot all over, her face a heavy shade of scarlet as she tried her best to keep her resolve. God forbid why she was strangely enjoying every second of this, and regretfully so. Yet, the feeling of his body against hers; a feeling so odd, so foreign, and, yet, so natural—but why does it feel so terribly wrong? She wanted to hit Ben so badly for making her feel such stupid things. It was his fault for putting her in such an awkward position in the first place. That dork...

From Ben's point of view, it wasn't exactly any more encouraging. Never has he been _this_ physically close to his cousin in a long time—and that was a long time ago...when they were both just little kids. Only now did he notice just how soft, and smooth, and intoxicating Gwen's skin was. And it disturbed him to a high degree just how irresistible he found her scent to be—like a wonderful fusion of raspberries and vanilla, with just a hint of cinnamon. Oh, that lovely cinnamon. Ben found himself inadvertently breathing more and more of her like it was some sick, new addiction. But then reality started kicking in. Snapping from his reverie, he shook his mind from his ill-conceived thoughts. He knew how wrong it was to think such things in the first place but then again he couldn't help himself. It's all her fault and her stupid, flawless self. Why'd she have to be so perfect, anyway? That dweeb...

"Uh, Ben?" she finally managed to murmur out amidst the silence, her voice somewhat shaky.

"Y-yeah?" came the muffled reply of her cousin, buried deep within the covers.

"Y-you're kind of...uh...w-well, you're...uh," her face grew feverishly red once again as she tried to pick her words, but they appear to fall short of just escaping her lips. Ben isn't doing any of this on purpose or anything anyway, right? And it was her who, in a spur-of-the-moment-thinking, jumped Ben and forced him under the covers. He's just doing what any other person would do in such circumstances. No need to overreact.

But he's got his face so comfortably nuzzled at the skin of her back left exposed, just a hair shy below her neck—like he was some sort of vampire poised to strike. And he had his arms and legs so tightly coiled around her like she was his captive prey, fearing she would escape if he dared let go. It's remarkable how vulnerable she felt at this moment. Oh, what delightfully wicked things he could do to her if he wanted to.

Gwen shook her head from such wild and disconcerting imaginings, her face looking even more flustered than ever before. She has got to stop reading these cheesy vampire romance novels. It's starting to rot her brain. "Ben, I... uh, I think w-we shou-" she began but stopped mid-sentence as she saw the door start to slowly open. "Hush now," she whispered to him, reaching to cover his mouth with one of her hands for good measure.

The door stopped just almost halfway. Gwen could see the intruder's silhouette forming on her bedroom floor, but couldn't quite make out to whom it belonged to. Not until an all-too familiar voice finally spoke out.

"Gwen? Dad told me to head up here to check what all the ruckus was about. Is everything all right in here?" inquired Gwen's older brother, poking his head from behind the door to check on his "baby" sister.

"K-Ken?" Gwen said, blinking her eyes, almost in disbelief, before breathing out a huge sigh of relief. _Thank God, it's only him_.

"Well, no duh, Captain Obvious. Were you expecting the Tooth Fairy or something?" Ken replied chuckling, as he took a step inside. "Anyway, what's up? You look a little pale—well, paler than usual, that is."

"I-It's nothing. I'm fine—just a little bit jumpy. Could you please close the door?" Gwen stated, sounding more like an order than a request. "Ben, you can come out now. It's only Ken," she uttered into the covers. As if on cue, Ben's head shot up from beneath covers, like a shark breaking the water's surface, as he desperately gasped for a breath of fresh air.

"Oh man, I thought I was gonna suffocate under there!" he wheezed, sweating buckets full. It was then that he noticed the rather confused look on Ken's face—a mischievous thought formed in his head. "Still...it wouldn't be so bad to go out like _that_, eh Gwen?" he added as an afterthought, flashing a toothy grin at both Gwen and Ken.

"Idiot," Gwen responded, clutching the covers closer to her and looking quite embarrassed, as she gave him a hard smack on the back of the head.

"Ouch! Kidding! I was only kidding!" Ben winced, rubbing the back of his head. "Geez, talk about tough love," he murmured to himself, albeit, loud enough for Gwen and Ken to hear him, much to Gwen's annoyance, and Ken's...well, his, er, non-annoyance.

"Oh. Oh-ho-ho!" bellowed Ken, a huge smile now plastered on his face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. Were you two in the middle of something?" Gwen could feel the heat rising to her cheeks. She never expected Ken to ever throw those kinds of questions at them.

"No!" "Yes!" came Gwen and Ben's answers respectively in unison.

"Ben!"

"What?"

"Quit it!"

"Quit what?"

"That!"

"That what?"

"That thing you keep doing!"

"I do a lot of things. Which one?"

"Don't push me, Ben!"

"Push? I'm barely touching you!"

"Argh, I'm gonna kill you, you stupid jerk!" Gwen growled, lunging angrily at her cousin with both arms extended like she was going to strangle him. Ben, still laughing, merely keeps his distance just enough to avoid her reach every time.

"C'mon now, Gwen, ease up. We wouldn't want _Junior_ to see Mommy and Daddy like this," he said with a huge smirk on his face, pointing to the flour sack /baby perched on top of a drawer, as he kept dodging Gwen's wild swings.

"When I get my hands on you, there won't be much for _that thing_ to see right after!"

"Why, sweetums, I'm appalled. That thing happens to be _our_ little pride and joy! Sure, he may be a ten pound sack of pancake mix, but can't you learn to love him the way I did?" Ben said, feigning disgust, but put little effort to hide the sarcasm in his voice.

"I hate you so much!" she yelped still lunging at him, trying hard to hold back the urge to cry as her emotions started to get the best of her. Ben caught a glimpse of tears starting to form in his cousin's eyes and realized that enough was enough—he had gone too far. Gwen might seem like a tough cookie most of the time, but she's actually quite fragile inside. He should have known better than to push her patience.

Ben noticed another swing headed for him. He arched his entire body back, just enough to evade it, before he sprung forward again, clutching Gwen's overextended arm by the wrist. Before she could react, he pulled her towards him, letting go of her wrist and, instead, wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace.

"I'm sorry," he whispered softly into her ear, before burying his face on her shoulder. Gwen didn't really understand what had just transpired. One minute they were fighting, the next he had his arms wrapped tightly around her. Nonetheless, she felt her anger gradually fading as she gave in to the moment, wrapping her arms around him in turn and closing her eyes. All was forgiven.

"Wow..," said a rather perplexed voice from the background. "You guys sure are something," Ken mused, as he nonchalantly leaned against a wall watching them, unsure of what to make of everything he just saw. "Is it like this every day with you guys? 'Cause if it is, then it is by far the best—and weirdest—soap opera I've ever seen. If I didn't know any better, and usually I don't, I'd say you two are...you know..."

Both cousins quickly broke from their embrace upon hearing Ken's remark, their eyes darting away from each other and their faces looking very flustered (again, Gwen?). Ken immediately took notice of this and broke into laughter—these two are just too adorably amusing when they're together. Ken's laughter abruptly ceased, however, when he noticed the peculiar look Ben and Gwen were giving him.

"Weird—I meant to say you two are weird," he said, giving them a little wink. "Welp, I better get outta here before you two get any more embarrassing. Oh, and for future reference, you might want to lock the door next time; and try not to make too much noise. We don't want Mom and Dad to know Ben snuck in here..._again_." Ken said as he made his way to the door. "I'll handle the explaining this time, sis, but you two owe me, a'ight? Later," he smiled before exiting the room.

And just like that it was just the two of them again—plus, the flour sack. For the moment, silence took over once again as the two quietly reflected upon all the craziness that had just transpired; both uncertain what to do next. Gwen was the first to act. Slowly, and without uttering a single word, she rose from her bed and made her way towards the door, locking it with an audible click. Ben just sort of followed her with his eyes, trying to get a read of her thoughts. For a while, she just stood there, and he just continued to gaze at her.

"What was that about back there?" she finally said, not bothering to look at him, her eyes still transfixed at the door.

"Pardon?" came his response, not quite sure what she meant.

"When you hugged me," she clarified, her voice trailing off slightly. "Twice." Ben swore he saw her face blushing. What did she mean by "_twice_"? "One moment, you were being the biggest jerk in the world; the next thing I knew, you just hugged me, and that's the last thing I expected from you. I don't get it."

"What's not to get? You were being such a cry-baby about being teased at, I didn't know what else to do," Ben shrugged.

"Am not!" she cried, instantly turning to face him, the blush on her face evident. A smile started to form on Ben's lips—he knew he could get her to respond like that.

"Puh-lease, Gwen, I know you better than anyone else does. You may try to act tough but we both know how much of a baby you are," Ben grinned, relieved that everything's back to normal...or whatever their definition of normal is.

"Oh, says Mr. Mature. You're the one that needs to grow up!" Gwen responded angrily, her hands on her waist.

"Really now? Well, I wasn't the one who started swinging violently at her poor, defenceless, and insanely good-looking cousin like some crazed animal!"

"Wha-, well at least I'm not some freaking pervert trying to cope a feel of his cousin while she risked herself getting grounded 'til-God-knows-when trying to save his sorry butt!" Gwen retorted almost yelling, but not loud enough that her folks might hear her. Her face was red with anger, and maybe a tinge of embarrassment.

"Wait, what? You're totally taking things out of context! I was hiding, Gwen. Hiding!" Ben shot back, trying to match her voice as he stood up, his face also turning red—although, it had more to do with embarrassment. "Plus, I happen to have a very cute butt..," he murmured as an afterthought.

"Oh, yeah, Ben, you were hiding! And you found it so necessary to cling to me like that! And I bet it has something to do with my body masking your heat signature from Mom and Dad, huh—like in those damn 'Predator' movies?" Gwen countered the sarcasm in her voice very heavy.

"Get over yourself, Gwen. It's not like I wanted to. I panicked. I figured if I could meld so seamlessly with you, by the way, eww, it would help to hide me better. It wasn't exactly the highlight of my career being stuck to the biggest dork in the whole universe for an agonizing twenty seconds!" he exclaimed taking a step closer to her, not even realizing that their faces were now inches away from each other.

Gwen wanted to come up with another retort, but found that she couldn't. Somehow, Ben's words hurt, and she wasn't sure why. Her lips quivered as she tried to think of something clever to say, but she felt like choking on her words. Instead, she just stood there looking at him defiantly, tears streaming from her eyes as she could no longer hold them back, as she tried to make do with whatever pride she had left.

Ben felt his heart instantly sink. He had never seen Gwen like this before. In fact, he couldn't ever recall a time when Gwen looked so...so...un-Gwen-like. It's very unnerving. And the worst part being this was his doing. "Gwen...I-I didn't mean—" he started, reaching out to her with one hand but she shrugged it off, quickly turning away from him as she tried to wipe the continuously-flowing tears from her eyes.

"Get out of my room, Ben Tennyson. I don't ever want to see you again. Get out before I call my parents," she whimpered with trembling words, still refusing to face him. She didn't really mean any of what she said, but right now she just couldn't stand being in the same room with him. Still, she could his very presence so close to her. Ben has not budged, and this frustrated her even more.

"I said get out!" she shouted this time, albeit, still not loud enough for her parents to hear. She expected him to conform this time. After all, sooner or later it's bound to happen. What she didn't expect, however, was a pair of arms wrapped securely around her. No snarky remarks, no weak apologies—just a pair of arms wrapped around her and a face nestling on the back of her head.

"You know, I do love ya," he whispered, placing a gentle kiss on her auburn hair.

"Good try, but this doesn't let you off the hook," she replied, a small smile shaping her lips as her tears started to dry out.

"I know, but I figured this would lessen the punishment," he chuckled nervously, still holding on to her tightly, as they rocked a bit back and forth very lightly.

"Oh, believe me, Ben Tennyson, you're gonna pay and I know just how. So you better get a good night's sleep for tomorrow..._dear_."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Well, that's the end of Chapter 2. Just a pointless drama/fluff, filler for the next chapter because I felt like it! R&R. Bye!


	3. Daddy Day Care

**A/N: **Hello, hello once again Bwen nation. You all probably thought I was dead, eh? But I'm right here live and in living word form. You might wanna thank another certain author for indirectly giving me my motivation back. Of course, as usual don't expect a quick update after this. I'm still me after all. Muahaha.

Before we start, I would like to warn you that a character I'm about to reintroduce here that's from the show will have a completely different personality than what you're used to. And I mean _major_ overhaul. I like the character and all but I just find the personality to be completely bland and generic, which doesn't really stand out so this is my own take. Don't sue me please, Ben 10 writers. And my story is after all in an alternate timeline so I at least enjoy some creative freedom. Loopholes are wonderful.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Ben 10. If I did, I would be very rich and parents everywhere will complain about the show.

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: Daddy Day Care<strong>

A pair of intense, emerald eyes swiftly swung focus to the left, meticulously studying the surroundings within the range of vision. A parking lot suddenly came into view. Fortunately, it was as empty as was hoped. A few cars parked but no potential sign of danger. Those same emerald eyes now quickly shifted to the right. An empty basketball court— with maybe a single tumbleweed rolling by. Again, no likely threats spotted.

Ben breathed a huge sigh of relief, but he knew he couldn't keep his guard down. At any moment, one may suddenly appear from the shadows, from a corner—maybe even from above. Gritting his teeth, he cursed at himself silently at his current predicament. This was one of those things he couldn't prepare himself for, no matter the conditioning. Damn, fate was cruel. Glancing at his surroundings again, he scanned for a possible temporary hiding spot. As luck would have it, there was an empty alleyway just up ahead. Maybe fate had a change of heart.

Taking in one last deep breath, he gripped the handlebar tightly before making a mad dash for it. All that soccer training was finally starting to pay off outside the field, as he managed to reach the alleyway in virtually no time at all.

Panting hard as he tried to recollect himself, he reached deep into his pocket and fished out his phone. Pushing on speed dial, he pressed it against his ear and waited for the three usual rings before his call was finally answered. "What?" came a rather icy response from the other end.

"Gwen, can I please come back home now? I know I swore I'll gladly make up for before but this is just too embarrassing. Can't I just be your personal butler for the day instead? Even dog, I'll settle for dog."

"Sorry Ben, but I did say I'll make you pay, and I couldn't think of a worse punishment. Serves you right anyway," shot back his cousin, sounding like she was enjoying this more than she needed to. "Who would've thought the great Ben Tennyson, hero of heroes, would be reduced to begging his own cousin— to be her _dog_, no less? What could be sadder?"

Ben could suddenly feel his cheeks burning. The thought of him acting like a dog in front of Gwen. Crawling on all fours and doing dog stuff, like fetching a ball, or harassing the mailman, or even...tackling Gwen and licking her all over her face. He quickly shook his head from such thoughts. "Idiot, what're you saying?!" he said, almost yelling, looking quite flustered.

"Hey, hey, calm down. You were the one that suggested it, doofus. And who knows? I might just reconsider your offer. I'll call you back when I change my mind, okay?" she said sounding as sweet as possible. Ben's not buying into it, though. "And if you do make it back with your integrity still intact, I might even reward you for being such a good boy. I do love cuddling dogs—especially the _feisty_ ones."

The burning sensation in the cheeks is back again. "W-why would I even care about that stuff?! What kind of stupid reward is that?!" This time he was yelling. Oh Ben, so naive; so weak-minded.

"Eh, either way you have no choice so it doesn't matter."

"Fine, whatever. I'll go through with this...but not because I'm expecting some sort of hug!" he quickly added. He looked down to what has been the bane of his existence for the past hour-and-a-half—a _baby stroller_, one of those intricate-looking ones, deep blue in color with the silver handlebars. Gwen had burrowed it from a friend, and Ben is, unfortunately, paying the price for it. Inside, a sack of flour fitted snugly, covered halfway by a blue-and-white striped, cotton blanket.

"Yeah, yeah–just be sure you aren't cheating your way out of your punishment. I would _know_ if you did, Benjamin Kirby Tennyson." As far as discipline goes, the full name calling always does the trick. "Besides, little Bwen deserves a day out with daddy."

"Er...Bwen?" Ben retorted, raising an eyebrow. This time, he could feel Gwen blushing.

"I just...I couldn't think of a good name, alright? So I just...mixed both ours," she said her voice slowly fading. The last statement could barely be heard. "Why, you gotta problem with that?!"

For the first time in quite a while, Ben managed to crack a smile. "And who was the sad one again, hmm?" he mocked, finally getting the upper hand.

"S-shut up! Just don't come back until sunset! Bye!" And with that the call was abruptly ended.

"Dweeb," chuckled Ben upon hearing the connection drop dead. Putting away his phone, he sighed to himself before taking another glance at the stroller. _"Bwen, huh?"_

* * *

><p>Gwen huffed as she jumped back on her bed. Her eyes wandered back to the phone which was still glued to her hand. "Doofus, why do you have to be so frustrating all the time? Why can't you just let me have my moment for once?" she murmured to herself. <em>"And I said all those weird things to him, too. Stupid. Stupid."<em>

There was a sudden knock at the door.

"It's open," Gwen called out in monotone as she stared at the ceiling, lightly tapping her phone on her forehead.

The door slowly swung open, and Ken's head popped in, looking half-confused and half-grinning. "Sorry to be disturbing you, baby sis, but I couldn't help overhearing your conversation from outside. Having another argument with your boyfriend?"

Gwen suddenly sat up and glared at him with eyes twitching. "Liar! You were eavesdropping again!" she growled at him. "And for the record it was with Ben, idiot!"

"Right, what did I say?" Ken replied with an innocent laugh.

"Sicko!"

And just like that Ken found himself on the receiving end of a flying pillow. It hit him squarely on the nose, and he stumbled back, accidentally tripping over a laundry basket he had placed down earlier. Then a loud crash was heard. Ken laid there on the floor looking quite dazed, as bits of clothes lay scattered all over the floor and some on top of him. "That girl..," he groaned to himself.

Gwen sighed to herself and used her powers to telekinetically close the door with an audible click. "I swear _irritating_ runs on the male side of this family." She clutched both arms tightly around a stuffed bear she always had with her bedside whenever she needed some comfort. She couldn't help but glance, though, at her bedroom window.

"_I wonder what he's doing right now..."_

* * *

><p>Ben begrudgingly trudged along the sidewalk pavement, a noticeable scowl in his face, as he unwillingly pushed the stroller in front of him. "<em>Why<em> _does it feel like I'm walking on wet cement or something?"_ Maybe he was being a little too paranoid, however. Maybe nobody he knows would spot him and add more fuel to the flame. Maybe...eh, who was he kidding? Everyone knows who he is. He's _the_ Ben Tennyson for crying out loud. His reputation would seriously take a huge dive if anyone saw him.

"So much for my Mr. Smoothy commercial ads," he sighed.

Just then, he noticed another figure not too far off. It was hard to make out who it was but he was sure he or she was coming his way. _"Oh, no," _Ben thought in panic, contemplating if he would back away and just run in the other direction.

There was something odd here, though. It looks as if he or she was also pushing some sort of baby stroller, Ben noticed. He scrunched his eyes, trying to make out the figure. No, he definitely wasn't seeing things. Someone indeed was also pushing along a stroller. Now if he could just close the gap and find out who it was—a few more steps and the...wait what?!

"Cash?!" Ben blurted out in complete shock. What the heck? Cash stopped dead in his tracks when he caught sight of his once former punching bag. There was an intense silence in the air as both teens stared each other down heavily, their hands unconsciously tightening their grip on the handlebar.

"Tennyson."

"Cash."

Cash's shoulders slumped when he noticed the stroller in front of Ben. "Gwen?"

"Yep. Julie?"

"Yeah."

And then once again there was dead silence. For a fleeting moment it seems like the both of them were on a mutual train of thought. That is until the silence was suddenly jolted.

"Hey, isn't that Ben Tennyson over there?" said a random passerby teen from the other side of the sidewalk.

"Really? Where?" piped a teenage girl near him. "Oh. Em. Gee! It's really him! But what's up with the baby stroller?"

"And who's that guy with him with the stroller, too?" chimed in another girl.

"Hey hero, nice stroller! Didya have an accident with one of your fangirls?" shouted some rowdy male teen from the back, as he and posse suddenly broke into laughter. Slowly, a mob was beginning to form.

"_Not good,"_ Ben thought to himself, taking a few steps back from the slowly expanding group of teens.

"That other guy must be his bodyguard or something. But a second stroller? I guess that Ben Tennyson guy had more than a few outings. How disgusting!"

"Ever heard of protection, hero?!"

"I gotta take a picture of this! Front page here I come!"

"I don't care what you guys think. He's still so cute! Ben, over here!"

"Hey Ben, transform into one of those cool alien dudes."

"The Ben Ten, live and in person? With a baby stroller to boot! This is so going in my blog!"

"Isn't he usually with that cousin of his? And now a stroller? Do you think that they..? Oh my..."

"I should be Ben's bodyguard! This is so unfair! Let's run him outta his job!"

Now the growing crowd was starting to become restless. Slowly, they were advancing towards the two helpless teens—well, one of them is, anyway. Several white vans with the different, famous newscast logos on them were suddenly appearing from every corner. Great, even the media is getting in on the action.

"Does this always happen?" Cash gritted as he and Ben continued to back away, trying to avoid the frenzied crowd.

"Not usually. We just happened to run into the crazy ones," Ben replied as the both of them were slowly being surrounded.

"Well, got any brilliant ideas, hero?"

"Just one: Run!"

"Well, why didn't I think of that?" came Cash's sarcastic remark as they bolted past the crowd, bobbing and weaving between hordes of teens and adults alike, expertly navigating through the maze of bodies all the while making sure the flour sacks were safe.

"Never thought I'd be on the other end of a chase," Cash smirked, all the while keeping pace with Ben.

"Call it poetic justice for all those times when we were in fifth grade," Ben replied with a smirk of his own. "But here now, I'm risking my life for flour sacks, not snot-nosed Edwin from Mathletes club. Left!" he shouted as both teens made a sharp corner turn.

"I'm sorry, alright. I know I was a jerk to you before. But you have to admit those were some fun times. And you even broke the record for longest time wedgied on a tree branch."

"Ha ha, hilarious. Anyway, how are you and Julie getting along?"

"Eh, don't even get me started. It's nag this and nag that—was she always that bossy?"

"Oh, you wouldn't believe." Both teens suddenly broke into laughter. Turning their heads around, they saw that the mob was still in hot pursuit—and even worse, both of them were starting to get exhausted.

"There's no shaking these guys!"

"We can cut through here," Ben shouted, as they swerved at nearest turn, running into a narrow alley. They stopped behind a nearby dumpster, their hands clutching their knees as they tried to catch their breath. They could hear the ruckus from the mob as they passed by them.

"Well that was...terrible. But at least the sacks are in one piece," Ben wheezed, nervously chuckling, patting the stroller's handlebar.

"Yeah, that was quite a run. Didn't think you had it in you, Tennyson—when you're not transforming into one of those aliens, anyway. Wait, why didn't you just transform into some alien dude and fly us out of there or something?!"

"Couldn't risk the sack...or the stroller, or Gwen will have my head," Ben replied in between breaths.

"You and that cousin of yours are like major tight, huh?"

"Yeah, something like that."

"And she's quite the looker, too. D'ya think she's single or some—" Cashed stopped mid-sentence when he noticed Ben's piercing gaze directed at him. "Umm, never mind. Do you think we lost them?"

"Probably, but through personal experience it's not usually easy to shake these guys o—"

"There he is!" a small girl pointed out in their direction, and suddenly the mob appeared again, seemingly having fluctuated in number. All we need now are the torches and pitchforks.

"Crap! What now?" Cash shouted as the crowd ran towards them like a horde of brainless zombies. Or Apple users.

"Divide and conquer! There's an intersection up ahead. You take left and I go right! Agreed?" There was no response though. Ben turned his head only to see that no one was beside him. Cash had just totally ditched him. "Unbelievable," Ben muttered to himself. "Ah well, screw it, I don't see any other option. Sorry Gwen!" Ben shouted as he scrolled through the Omnitrix and pressed down hard with his hand. Suddenly, a brilliant green flash briefly engulfed the area, stunning the rambunctious crowd.

Where Ben Tennyson stood before, now only a burnt circle mark on the ground and a puff of smoke remained, much to the confusion and disappointment of the crowd. Even the stroller was gone.

At a fountain in the center of Bellwood Park, a ghastly figure suddenly rose from the ground, his chilling gaze frightening some people who were taking a leisurely walk, sending them scurrying to different directions. Sighing to himself at the scene he unintentionally caused, Big Chill gently put the stroller down and pressed hard on the insignia on his chest. Another brilliant green flash and Ben Tennyson stumbled to the ground, looking quite worn out.

"Glad that's over." Picking himself up, he dusted the dirt on his jeans and jacket and proceeded to sit at the edge of the fountain. "Gwen, I am so gonna get you back for this," he mumbled to himself, letting at one huge sigh. Just then the image of him acting like a dog again and viciously tugging at his cousin's clothes with his teeth ran through his mind. "Damn, what is wrong with me?" he groaned to himself, covering his face with his hands. "Am I really that perverted?"

"Ben?" he suddenly heard a female voice calling out to him. Snapping out of his reverie, he lifted his head to see who it was. His eyes widened at the sight before him. A small gust of wind blew past them as they continued to stare at each other. Finally, a smile shaped itself unto Ben's lips.

"Hey..."

* * *

><p>Gwen couldn't stop pacing back and forth her bedroom floor, stopping to check her phone in hand every once in a while, before resuming her pacing again. It's been a while since the dweeb had called—which was quite unusual. Normally, he'd call every half hour or so to complain, but it's been past an hour since he did. Maybe he ran into some trouble. Or maybe something happened to him. Or worse...maybe something happened to the sack.<p>

"I may have gone overboard with his punishment. I should've just gone with the dog thing." A small blush crept up her cheeks at the thought of Ben as a dog—complete with dog ears and tail. She shook her head vigorously, trying to erase the thought. "No, no, what am I thinking? This is Ben I'm talking about!" Her face got even more flustered as images of her happily running along a grassy field, with Ben on all fours in hot pursuit started to cloud her mind.

Ken walked past her door which he observed was slightly open. His sister must've forgotten to close it again when she came back upstairs after lunch. "I wonder what surprises awaits me this time," he chuckled as he quietly poked his head inside for a quick look. To his astonishment, there stood Gwen in the middle of the room, eyes closed, her hands cupping her flustered cheeks, and mouth agape. She looked completely out of it; she didn't even seem to notice him at all.

Ken smirked at the sight of his sister being adorably weird. And to think he should've been used to this by now. He gently closed the door making sure he wasn't heard. "Daydreaming about him, sis? Really?" He shook his head as he made his way downstairs.

* * *

><p>"Didn't expect to find you here," Ben started as he and the girl from before sat side by side on a nearby park bench. He turned to her with a warm smile. "It's been a while, Eunice."<p>

"Indeed it has, Ben. I've not seen you since I last departed with my creator, Azmuth. I am overjoyed to see your face, again," she said, returning his smile. There was always something unique to how Eunice spoke, Ben observed. It's like she was still grasping the concept of human language. Speaking of grasping...

"Just one question, though," Ben said with a nervous chuckle. "What's up with the turtle?" he asked, pointing to the small turtle Eunice had fashioned to a leash she was holding.

"Huh? Is it not customary for one to bring along an animal for companionship when talking a stroll along these recreational grounds?" Eunice tilted her head in confusion.

"Um, yeah, but usually we just go for a dog, but a turtle works too, I guess," Ben said, scratching his cheek with his index finger. I guess language isn't the only thing she needs to work on.

"I see," Eunice stated with a curious look, picking up the turtle with both hands. Surprisingly, it didn't withdraw in its shell. "You know so much about this planet. I wish to know as much as you. Azmuth has allowed me to linger here on Earth for awhile to try and understand what it is like to be more human."

"_Guess Azmuth has a soft spot, after all,"_ Ben thought to himself. "So you have a place you're temporarily staying at? Like an apartment or something?"

"I am well taken care of. Azmuth has asked a few of his acquaintances here on Earth to watch over me for the time being. They have accepted me into their home and they are very kind people," came her reply, gently stroking the shell of her turtle.

"I see. And they let you roam Bellwood all by yourself?" Ben raised an eyebrow. Eunice was still new to Earth culture and he was a little worried.

"I am fine. I am quite capable of defending myself, unless you've forgotten. Besides, it is much more enjoyable to explore new things without a guide. It is like an adventure of sorts." Eunice smiled sweetly at him, and Ben blushed at the sight. She's really cute.

"Well, it's too bad then. I would've been more than happy to show you around if you felt like it," Ben stated, rubbing the back of his neck. Suddenly, he felt a pair of delicate hands clutch his one free hand. Eunice's eyes were sparkling as she palmed and held up Ben's hand.

"Really? I would be most appreciative if it is with you, Ben! I have missed the freezing out with you a lot!" She looked very ecstatic.

"It's 'chilling out'," Ben chuckled. "But yeah, I guess you have yourself a tour guide." Just then, both Ben and Eunice registered a blush on their faces when they noticed the closeness of their proximity. Ben was especially taken back when he felt Eunice's hands tightening their grip on his. He swallowed hard when he saw Eunice close her eyes and lean in towards him, her face slowly inching closer and closer to his. His heart raced and pounded against his chest, and his breathing became uneven and shaky. His mind went back to that one night when they almost kissed—until they were interrupted, that is. But is this moment right now really it?

Ben figured it was best not to think too much about it as he closed his eyes and started to lean in as well. Their faces were so close; Ben could even feel Eunice's hot breaths on his face. The gap between them was slowly disappearing. Maybe this was it. They felt their nose lightly brush against each other. There was the slightest contact between their lips and then...

Ben jumped when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Eunice quickly let go of his hands in surprise and they simultaneously looked away from each other, blushing deeply. Ben fumbled as he awkwardly tried to fish out his phone—his hands were shaking so much it made it the more difficult to. Finally, he did manage to get it out and hurriedly pressed 'Answer'.

"H-hello?" he sounded quite out of breath. "Gwen? No, I'm fine." Eunice smiled at the mention of his cousin's name. "Yeah, ran into some trouble earlier it's nothing major. I'm okay, I swear."

"You idiot! You made me worry for nothing!" Gwen was practically shouting from the other line. "Next time, maybe a bit of assurance would be nice."

"I'm sorry," Ben said, although he was smiling. "Jeez, you're worried about me that much?" he teased.

"Don't be ridiculous! It's not you I'm worried about—it's Bwen!" There was a small pause. "But...I'm glad you're okay, too." That last part was barely audible.

"Don't worry, she's fine, too. She has the wielder of the Omnitrix looking out for her after all. C'mon, have a little bit of faith in me, Gwendolyn. Wait...what? Come again? Where am I? At the park. In fact, I just ran into Eunice. She's here with me now, 'freezing out'," Ben said, taking a glance at her. Eunice happily waved at the phone even though she knew Gwen couldn't see her.

There was no response from Gwen's end, however. Ben suddenly felt a little uneasy at the silence.

"Gwen? Hello, are you still there? Hello?" Ben called out, trying not to sound too panicked.

"Y-yeah, sorry," Gwen finally answered back, her voice a bit low. "I guess I kinda spaced out for a moment."

"Oh, good." Ben breathed a sigh of relief. "Jeez, don't ever scare me like that again. Anyway, I'll definitely be home soon. Hmm? Of course, I'm talking about your house, dweeb. I wouldn't wanna be caught dead bringing this to my home. No, I am not being a wuss! Yeah, u-huh. See you then. Love you, hun!" The line suddenly went dead—even Eunice could hear the call end tone.

"Huh, and she doesn't even bother to say she loves me back," Ben joked, looking sheepishly at Eunice as he put his phone away. Eunice smiled brightly back at him.

"Gwendolyn, she's quite dear to you, is she not?" she asked, her tone almost in a sing-song manner.

"Well, yeah, we've been through quite a lot together. I almost don't hate her as much as I used to. Don't get me wrong, she's still the undisputed queen of dorks," he grinned. "But she's my adorably dorky cousin."

"Interesting," Eunice mused, reaching out to take hold of her turtle once more. "If you truly have a special association with her, then why not the both of you engage in the sharing of enjoyable recreation?"

Ben raised an eyebrow at her. "You know you're talking about a _date_, right?"

"Yes. Is something the matter?" Eunice replied, looking at him blankly.

"No. It's just...the whole thing is sorta complicated."

"Does it need to be?"

"Well...I'm not really sure how we can go about it, you know."

"Then why don't you begin with the purchasing of an enclosed medium in the shape of a symbol of endearment containing various types of confectioneries, followed by bountiful floral arrangements? Will she not be smitten by such a wonderful gesture?"

"Err...can we talk about this some other time?" Ben stuttered, nervously pulling on the collar of his undershirt.

"Of course, if now is inconvenient for you. We shall discuss more of this when you take me to the Aquarium tomorrow."

"Wait, what now?" Ben looked at her, confused.

"You promised to be my guide, yes? Unfortunately, it is not feasible today as the sun is setting. You, as well as I, are expected to be home by then. So I wish for us to visit the Aquarium tomorrow. I have never set foot there and it is supposedly lovely. Am I asking too much from you?" Eunice frowned as she put down her turtle.

"Um, no, not at all. I'd be happy to take you there," Ben said with a smile.

"Oh, thank you!" Eunice cried out as she suddenly threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around him in the process.

Ben could only smile back at her as he saw her overjoyed expression. "_Cute."_

"By the way, Ben," Eunice added, her arms still wrapped around him. "Why do you have a baby stroller with a sack of flour in it with you?"

"Eh?"

* * *

><p>"I'm back," Ben called out weakly, as he closed the door behind him and took off his jacket and threw it atop a nearby clothing rack. He felt so physically drained after today. He lowered his head and closed his eyes, sighing deeply, before looking back up.<p>

The first sight he saw was that of Gwen standing in front of him with her arms crossed and a frown on her face. "Well, you sure took your damn time," she huffed, lightly tapping the floor with her foot.

"I was just catching up with Eunice. I told you not to worry so much," he grinned putting a hand on top of her head.

She stared at him for a moment before swatting it away. "Like I said, I was worried about the sack, not you," she murmured, picking up the sack from the stroller and examining it. "It looks okay."

"Told you, you gotta have more faith in me," he smirked as he jumped on the sofa, humming with contentment at finally being able to relax. "By the way, I kinda accidentally promised Eunice I'd take her to the Aquarium tomorrow, so I'll probably be gone for most of the day." Ben suddenly felt a chill run up his spine for some reason. Maybe he shouldn't have brought up that last part.

"Jeez, you are such a womanizer." Gwen pouted, shaking her head. Her voice sounded awfully strained. "And while we're in the middle of a project, too. Hopeless."

"I know, I'm sorry, but I couldn't back out of it. I promise I'll make up for it again. Double duty," Ben chuckled nervously, not really daring to look at Gwen, and just sat there straight with his eyes fixed at the not plugged in television.

He then felt a pair of arms wrap around his neck. For a moment, he thought Gwen was going to strangle him to death, but somehow he was still breathing. Even more so, he was surprised when she nuzzled up against his neck, and he couldn't help but blush from the contact.

"Told you I like to cuddle," she nervously whispered in his ear.

Then they heard a plate drop.

Both cousins quickly lifted their heads and turned their attention to where the noise came from. There stood Ken, completely immobilized—his mouth wide open, looking as if he was ready to bite down on a turkey sandwich he was holding up, but froze on the spot when he saw Ben and Gwen...um, having their moment.

Both cousins suddenly felt their cheeks heat up as they exchanged stares with Ken, they themselves unable to move.

"Ken!" they both yelled in unison.

"AHH! I SWEAR I DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Btw, to really get into the character of Eunice, just imagine her with this sweet-as-honey but naive sounding voice, which means you have to re-read her parts again. Oh, and for those who didn't get that one statement of hers, she was telling Ben to buy a heart-shaped box of chocolates and a bouquet of flowers for Gwen. Peace off!


End file.
